Head protector



July 10, 1956 E. MAURO HEAD PROTECTOR Filed March 7, 1955 FIG.3

INVENTOR Izzgezze JW azzm ATTORNEY United States Patent 6 HEAD PROTECTDR Eugene Mauro, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application March 7, 1955, Serial No. 492,506

1 Claim. (Cl. 2--3) My invention is an improved head protector, especially a head protector intended for baseball players to prevent injury if a ball thrown by the pitcher should hit a batter on the head.

An important object of this invention is to provide a head protector that will effectively shield both the sides and back. of the head and can be worn conveniently over the players cap.

In practice the head protector is made of light but strong material, such as fiber or plastic, and fits the head snugly over the back. sides and ears. The inner surface of the device is well cushioned so that it can be worn without chafing or discomfort of any kind.

The nature and advantages of the invention are made clear in the following description and the novel features are pointed out in the claim. On the drawings a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, but variations in structural details not necessarily shown herein, can be adopted without actual alteration or omission of any of the essential characteristics of the improvement.

On said drawings:

Figure l is a side view of the protector as it appears on the head of the player.

Figure 2 is a rear view;

Figure 3 is a top view thereof.

Figure 4 is a detail of a modification.

The protector, indicated as a whole by the numeral 1, comprises two halves 2 and 3, united at one end of each by a bridge piece 4 of stiff spring steel or some other suitable material secured to the halves 2 and 3 by fastening means such as rivets 5. The halves are thus held resiliently together. with the opposite ends separated. When the protector is put on the bridge piece 4 is at the back of the head, and each half is held securely against the sides of the wearers head and covers the temples and ears. The connected ends of the sections 2 and 3 are straight and are held close together by the spring strip 4.

Each section has an extension 6 which cooperates with an adjacent extension 7. The sections are produced in blank form with the extensions 6 and 7 separated by a space between them, and in such position that they can be drawn together to cause them to overlap at their outer extremities, which are affixed together by suitable fastening means such as rivets 8. An aperture 9 is thus formed in each section, and the sections or halves 2 and 3 bulge outward around the apertures 9 so that they fit the contour of the wearers head. The outer faces of the sections are f at-enter! July 10, 1956 thus forced to present convex surfaces, with concave surfaces inside the protector 1.

The sections 2 and 3 have cushion strips 10 and 11 along the top and bottom edges and extending from the front of one section all around the protector to the front of the other section. The top of the protector is spanned by a band or strap 12, with its opposite ends affixed one to each section under the upper cushion strip 10. The lower cushion strip 11 also runs all around the concave lower edge of the protector and across the junctions of the extensions 6 and 7, and the ends of this strip are turned up along the lower part of the forward extension 7, which overlies the other extension 6 just behind it. The spring strip 4 causes the sections to lie snugly against the head and the band 12 prevents the protector from slipping downward.

The protector is therefore light but strong and durable and the extensions 6 and 7 cause the sections to bulge out- Ward, thus increasing the strength and durability of the protector. It can always be worn with comfort and amply protects the wearer from the consequence of any hit that might be made if a thrown ball strikes it. The player can also put it on under his cap, if desired.

The strips 11 run from the front to the adjacent ends of the sections 3 and then down along the adjacent edges of these sections to the lower strip 11.

The united extensions 6 and 7 form a wide portion at each side that shields the upper cheeks of the wearer, and the entire inner surface of each section is concave about the apertures 9, which usually expose parts of the wearers ears. The protector can be made continuous below the apertures 9, so that the rivets 8 can be discarded.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new is:

A protector for the human head comprising side sections with straight opposed rear ends in close proximity to each other, a resilient stiff bridge piece connecting said sections and extending across said ends and holding said sections with said ends close together, the front ends of said sections each having a wide portion extending downward and each portion having an aperture of material size therein, said portions being concave on their inner faces, and an elastic transverse band at the top of the protector with one end attached to each section, the sections having concave lower edges extending from said portions and meeting at said rear ends, said protector having cushioning strip means along the inner surfaces of said sections over the entire extent of the upper edges of both sections, said band having its ends secured under said means at the upper edge of the protector, and cushioning strip means inside the sections extending along the lower edges of sections from said ends to said portions in front of said apertures.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 600,778 Frazier Mar. 15, 1898 2,214,748 Mauro Sept. 17, 1940 2,607,036 McCoy Aug. 19, 1952 2,634,415 Turner et a1. Apr. 14, 1953 

